Improvement in water-heaters and purifiers



To all 'whom it may concern:

UNITED! STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

PERRY ALMY, OF WILLIAMSON, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND A. B. WILLIAMS,

OF SODUS, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-HEATERS AND PURIFIERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 122,346, dated J anuary 2, 1872.

Be it known that I, PERRY ALMY, of Williamson, in the county of Wayne, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Im provement in Water-Puriiier; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable `others skilled in the art to make and use Vthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing formin g part of this specication.

The object oi' this invention is to providel efficient and convenient means for purifying water for use 'in steam-boilers and for other purposes, h'aving especial reference to what 1s known as hard water, or water holdinglime p in solution; andlit consists in an apparatus in whichy the water to be purified is heated by means of steam, to the boiling temperature, and then filtered through successive layers or beds of oyster-shells, or similar material or substance, the apparatus being constructed as hereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a `vertical section ofthe apparatus taken on the line x x of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a top or plan view.

f i Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A is a tight vessel, of any size suitable for the purpose, containing' a series of horizontal shelves or partitions, B, formed of slats, and more or less in number, arranged as seen in the drawing. O is a crotch exhaust-pipe from the steam-cylinder D. E is a chamber, on one side ot' the vessel A, into which (through the branch-pipe F) one half (more or less) of the steam is exhausted. G represents orifices through the wall of the Vessel, which allow the steam to enter the vessel A. H isa coil of pipe, placed upon the top of the vessel A. The outer branch I ofthe exhaust-pipe discln rges the other portion of the steam into the coil. J is a pipe, through which cold water is4 discharged into the. coil. The quantity of cold water thus introduced is designed to be sufficient to supply the boiler `with feed-water. On each of the shelvesB a bed of oyster-shells (four inches, more or less, in thickness,) is placed,

,leaving an open space of four inches, more or less, above each bed. K is a sieve or screen,

placed beneath the lower shelf, but above the pump-pipe L, for the purpose of catching any piece of shell or other solid matter which might work down through the filtering-beds. M is an exhaustpipe, on top of the vessel, for allowing steam to escape therefrom.

The feed-water which enters the coil is raised to the boiling temperature, as it min gies with and absorbs heat from the steam, and drops down by its own gravity through the filteringbeds to the lower portion of the vessel, beneath the screen, from whence it is taken by the pump and forced into the boiler.4 The temperature oi' the water is maintained bythc steam discharged between the filtering-beds from the chamber E. Lime is held in solution in the cold water by the presence of carbonio acid. rlhe heat impart-ed to the water cxpels the carbonic acid; the lime is, precipitated and adheres tothe oyster-shells, having a greater animity therefor, or being attracted thereto with greater force than to metallic or other surfaces l Orobjects which contain no carbonate of lime 1n their composition. I do not, however,` conline myself .strictly to oyster-shells, as a filter haast-pipe O, to form an improved feed-water heater and purifier for boilers, by which the water is first heated and the carbonic acid expelled, and then passed through heated shells, on which the lime is precipitated, before being pumped into the boiler.

Vitnesses: PERRY ALMY.

A. M. WINcHns'rER,

Cms. D. GAYLORD. r (148) 

